[Felvtalk] Our Lydia
Well Lydia got to where she couldn't even swallow and had lost so much muscle weight. We decided to take her in today to be PTS. It seemed very peaceful and I have my doubts she would have made it another day at home anyway. I stayed with her until her very last moment and then took her to a wonderful (and affordable) pet cremation place. I'm very sad to lose her. She was truly one of a kind. But it was her time and I hope I will see her in my next lifetime. Thank you to those who have helped so graciously with info and also to whoever runs this site. It has been an amazing place to come across and just when I needed it most. We believe our Lydia was born with FeLV since she has been fairly skinny her whole life (but not emaciated until recently). She has a sister (my Dewey...named her after my most favorite liquid in the universe - Mountain Dew) and we will be getting her and our other cat tested within the next week. Thanks again and I'll let y'all know the test results. ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org
Re: [Felvtalk] Update on our Lydia
Oh, I guess I hadn't put her name in the first message, so I can see why people don't know what I'm talking about :) The heading was: [Felvtalk] Questions about FeLV My name came up as: A D And it was posted: Tue, 28 Sep 2010 00:26:52 -0700 Anyway, any idea how much Pet Tinic I should give her? Any thoughts on an iron supplement? Liquid seems to be the way to go :) Also, and I hope I don't sound too dumb.but can kitty have human blood in a transfusion? And/Or, can her sister (if she's FeLV negative) donate blood to her? Biological sister, not adopted sister :) Would a vet do a transfusion from one cat to another? Any idea if it would be extremely expensive? We are going to be moving 1400 miles away, and we leave on the 15th. It'll take a few days to get there. I know that will be stressful on her, is there anything I can do to make it any less stressful? Like if she rides on someone's lap instead of in a crate.or get one of those calming collars I've seen at Walmart.? They have some kind of pheromone or something on them, I think.? There will be other cats in crates, and 2 dogs possibly in crates, possibly not, but the dogs and this cat get along very well. She has continued to eat baby food.not a ton, but some.and she urinated the other day (on the floor - missed the box, I guess) and it was a very string yellow color, but not orange, brown, or red.like a.hi-liter yellow, but really concentrated. Like if you hi-lited the same spot on a piece of paper over and over.hope that makes some sense.lol. She's still real yellow-skinned (and paw pads and nose and gums). She has been more alert the last few days, but still not active much. The vet she saw was very sure that she won't make it. He kept saying he has seen cats with the levels in her bloodwork, and it never turns out good. I don't expect a miracle (thought it would be nice), but if she can live for a while, and not be in pain or discomfort, I have to try.ya know? If she makes it until the 15th, and makes the trip, I will be looking for a vet that is maybe a bit more optimistic.but realistic, too. Oh.and guess what? She was purring for me the other morning :) That was the first time I'd heard/felt that in a while. She seems to not want to be warm. She won't stay under the covers at night like she used to, prefers the bare wood floor to the soft beds, and we even found her in the empty bathtub yesterday. Most of her day is spent in the top of a tall laundry basket, laying on a fleece blanket. At night she sleeps at the foot of our bed. Anyway, any more info, encouragement, ideas, etc. are greatly appreciated :) ~Anndrea ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org
Re: [Felvtalk] Update on our Lydia
Is FeliWay something I might find at like PetsMart? I know it isn't safe to have her on a lap.I guess I wasn't thinking about that part.thanks for bringing it up.I'm so focused on her not feeling well, it totally slipped my mind what could happen to her if she's not in a crate most of the time. I am hoping to use a large enough crate for her to have litter, food, and water in there.she will definitely have food and water available (as will the other cats in their crates). Too bad human to cat blood transfusion won't work.me and hubby have both said if we could, we'd go so far as to give her organs (or parts of organs - like a piece of my liver), we wouldn't even hesitate :) I'll call around on cost.but would I want to be having a transfusion done shortly before we're moving, or should I call around at the new place (assuming she makes it there)? That Bach Flower stuff.the vet said not to do shots because of her weakened immune system.I'm not sure I should be giving her anything I don't know anything about.does that make sense? Lydia doesn't drink a lot of water. She is not really active, and when I see her having a hard time swallowing, I get her non-needled small syringe and give her a couple drinks. I need to get more in her.she was getting more when she was lapping up really watery cat food, but I was worried she wasn't getting enough food, so went and got baby food. She eats that right out of the jar, but doesn't seem to want water by itself anymore. I will try to get more water in her from now on, since she hasn't been drinking it much on her own. Yeah, I thought anemia would make her feel cold.I mean her paw pads seemed cold for several days, but they feel normal warm now.hope that's a good thing.I sure know the cold feet didn't feel right. And, sorry to press the same question over and over, but does anyone know how much Pet-Tinic I should be giving her? And of an iron supplement (if it might help)? Thanks :) ~Anndrea Yes, get some Feliway (facial pheromone)and spray it into the carrier a few hours prior to leaving because if it's fresh, it's a bit strong. You can take cat out once in a while, but it's not really safe in lap...I had a friend whose cat was in the car, she got into a slight fender-bender, opened the door and cat got out on a highway - she never found it again. Keep them safe inside a proper cat carrier - get a larger one where you could place a small baking dish with litter, etc. No, you cannot do human blood to cat. From a cat to another, yes - vets usually have donor cats living at hospitals. Don't know where you live - cost varies from area to area. Yes, those calming things could work - but how about Bach Flower Remedies' Rescue - put into water, into mouth, spread fur away on forehead and place a few drops on it. You cannot overdo. Does kitty drink enough water/? You might want to give her water with an eyedropper throughout the day. If she's anemic, I';m surprised that she wants to keep cool Good luck eith the trip and the little one! I'll be thinking of you all! Natalie ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org
Re: [Felvtalk] Update on our Lydia
Ok, I will get some Feliway and see if it helps her on the trip :) I didn't think about water spilling.we're going to have to make a lot of stops anyway because I'm having knee surgery Tuesday and have to get out and stretch like every hour or two.I can try to get some food and water in her on those stops and when we stop for the night. The vet hasn't really said anything about transfusion since the bloodwork came back. We had taken her in on a Friday, so had to wait until Monday for the FeLV test results. He gave us antibiotics for her, and called Friday night to let us know some of the bloodwork tests had come back and that she is VERY anemic and that it looks like her bone marrow is not making new red blood cells. He was gone that next week, and another doctor gave me some hope, but was also very realistic about it. Once he was back in the office, he called and was very adamant about putting her down. I asked about pain.if she might have any and how I would know if she does. All they told me was she'd cry out and would pant like a dog. They said I would definitely know something had changed and that it was important. She has never done those things. I might try both.? Feliway and rescue remedy.? I never thought about the hot water helping make it more tasty.I assumed people said to dilute it because she probably doesn't have much energy to chew food. but, I need to keep getting water into her, too.so maybe a little hot water in her food would be good :) Don't be sorry.I hope I didn't come across.like.I was snapping at you.I totally didn't mean for it to sound that way :) Ok, 0.25 ml. I'm sure that wouldn't be too much.the bottle was saying 2.5ml for a 25lb dog or cat.but I want to make sure I don't OD her, so I will do 0.25. Thanks a ton for the info and suggestions :) This is just so hard on me and my husband (who Lydia claimed as hers the moment we brought her home :) ). She is just so amazing :) ~Anndrea Yes, any pet supply store carries Feliway. There's even a dog counterpart available now. Don't put water in there - it'll spill and everything will be wet. Give it to her once in a while off with an eyedropper. We have traveled a lot with our cats and dogs - cross-country, to Europe and back Transfusion isn't always IT - does she really need it according to the vet? Rescue remedy can be given anytime - it's not a shot - cannot interfere with anything! PetTinic - sorry, I forgot to answer: My vet prescribed .25 mL twice a day for an adult cat with regular anemia (he was not FeLV+). He always reminds me not to give too much of it. If you use a small amount of really hot water in the food, the flavor comes out and cats love it. ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org
[Felvtalk] Update on our Lydia
I asked some questions a couple days or so ago, and got some wonderful responses! However, I have not figured out how to reply to messages on here, so I am starting a new thread.hope that's ok. I got Lydia's lab work and it reads as follows (I am only posting the tests that came up outside the normal range): Globulin=2.8 (should be between 3.0-5.6) Total Bilirubin=0.5 (should be between 0.0-0.4) Direct Bilirubin=0.4 (should be between 0.0-0.2) Cholesterol=68 (should be between 82-218) Glucose=153 (should be between 70-150) Potassium-3.6 (should be between 3.9-5.3) A/G Ratio=1.2 (should be between 0.4-0.8) RBC=3.44 (should be between 6.0-10.0) HCT=16.0 (should be between 29-45) NRBC=5 (should be between 0-2/100 WBC.WBC=9.1 - should be between 4.2-15.6) Neutrophil Seg=18 (should be between 35-75) Lymphocytes=57 (should be between 20-55) Monocytes=5 (should be between 1-4) Eosinophil=20 (should be between 2-12) Auto Platelet=70 (should be between 170-600) Then there's these, I have no clue what these (and most of the above) are. Poikilocytosis - Slight Platelet Comments - Platelets appear moderately decreased (50,000-120,000) Remarks: WBC Corrected for presence of nucleated RBC's Acanthocytes - slight Rouleaux Slide reviewed microscopically Absolute Neutrophil Seg = 1638 (should be between 2500-12500) Everything else showed as in the normal ranges listed with them. At the top of the first page it says: Reticulocyte count=0.7 (should be between 0-1) Absolute reticulocyte=24080 (should be between 0-50,000) An absolute reticulocyte count greater than 50,000 of blood is considered evidence of regenerative anemia. Degree of regeneration: (aggregate reticulocytes) 15,000 - NONE 50,000 - SLIGHT 100,000 - MODERATE 200,000 - MARKED FeLV antigen (ELISA) - POSITIVE (result has been duplicated) I hope this isn't too long to post.I had no idea what people would or wouldn't want to know. These results are of blood that was drawn on 9/17, I have no idea what her numbers are now. I did get her eating some stage 2 meat baby food. She's only eaten half a jar, but that is more food in the last 24 hours than she probably ate the few days before that.and before the baby food her food mostly consisted of water. I am not force feeding at this time, since she sniffs it and eats on her own, and drinks water on her own when she's thirsty. She does seem to have some difficulty swallowing, but she is still getting food and water down. Also, what is the correct dosage of Pet Tinic for her? She is MAYBE 5lbs, and the bottle says : dogs and cats 2.5 ml per 25lbs of body weight. So she should get a fifth of that, which would be 0.5ml, right? Thanks to anyone who has helped and might help in the future.and sorry again for making this so long. ~Anndrea ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org
